1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning, rinsing and sanitizing food preparation equipment and more particularly, to a spray apparatus which is valved and fitted with at least two chemical supply systems for selectively cleaning, rinsing and sanitizing food preparation equipment. The apparatus of this invention is designed to permit a reliable hot or cold clear water rinse and a spray mixture of one or more selected chemicals in selected proportions to achieve the cleaning, rinsing and sanitizing operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been known that food spoilage during the food processing stage of food handling is a difficult problem to solve on a large scale basis. Many micro-organisms such as salmonella are pathogenic and are harmful to persons consuming the food. Other organisms operate to cause early food spoilage but are relatively harmless to people ingesting the organisms. Meat spoilage and deterioration begins at the moment of slaughter and continues until arrested by refrigeration or cooking. Accordingly, each stage of the food processing operation is characterized by built-in problems relating to food spoilage and careful steps must be taken to minimize deterioration and contamination during each such processing stage. Personal cleanliness on the part of persons handling the food is essential, as well as the cleanliness of all food preparation and processing equipment such as conveyor packaging systems, meat saws, knives and other cutting implements, and particularly, those which are automated and have crevices and slots where meat particles and juices can lodge to breed micro-organisms.
Food processing and preparation equipment is most generally cleaned by use of a sponge or rag repeatedly dipped in a bucket of soapy water. Continued use of the same soapy water solution can result in a build-up of micro-organisms over a period of time, and the very surfaces which are wiped "clean" may therefore become contaminated. Furthermore, even when a fresh soap solution is used, the rag or sponge may itself be susceptible to accumulation of undesirable organisms, thereby serving to contaminate even a fresh cleaning solution. In addition, the crevices and apertures present on many types of automated apparatus cannot be thoroughly cleaned by this technique since the rag or sponge cannot be forced into these small areas.
Heretofore, a variety of prior art devices typified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,787 to Oded Yoeli, et al, have been devised to more thoroughly clean and sanitize food processing equipment. The Yoeli et al equipment consists of a nozzle gun connected by means of a hose to a "tee" connection, the legs of which are in turn connected to the hot and cold pipes of a water faucet. Separate chemical containers are in turn connected by hoses to the hot and cold water hoses, respectively, and a selected chemical may be made to flow into either the hot or cold water hose by aspiration, with the rate of chemical flow being determined by the rate of hot or cold water flow through the respective hoses.
One problem associated with use of the Yoeli et al device is apparent due to the undetermined rate of aspiration of the chemicals which can only be controlled at the spray nozzle. If only a hot or cold clear water rinse is desired, merely cutting down on the flow rate of either the hot or cold water or both, will not insure that a small flow of chemical is not aspirated into the flow stream and through the discharge nozzle. Consequently, a clear water rinse, either hot or cold, can only be assured by disconnecting one or both of the chemical hoses, as desired. Furthermore, the system requires a pair of proportionaire or metering devices, one for hot and the other for cold water dispensation. Yet another disadvantage of the apparatus is the requirement for additional plumbing over and above that which is normally an ordinarily supplied in a commercial establishment in order to achieve the desired cleaning, rinsing and sanitizing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cleaning, rinsing and sanitizing spray apparatus for selectively cleaning, rinsing and sanitizing food processing equipment which can be portable or mounted for example and which is valved to assure a selected absolutely non-chemical contaminated fresh hot or cold water rinse and known concentrations of selected chemicals in the wash discharge.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved spray apparatus which can be adjusted to selectively feed one or more chemicals individually or in selected combination and concentration, into the spray system, as desired.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved food processing equipment cleaning, rinsing and sanitizing spray device which can be quickly, easily and selectively connected and disconnected to conventional plumbing fixtures by means of "quick-disconnect" couplings.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved spray apparatus for cleaning, rinsing and disinfecting food processing and other equipment which is capable of utilizing chemicals at full strength or in diluted solution in the respective chemical storage containers, and is capable of providing a cleaning and sanitizing spray in selected chemical concentration or concentrations.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning, rinsing and sanitizing spray apparatus, the valving and fitting hoses and system of which can be mounted with only the valve handles and spray nozzle exposed or, in the alternative, can be fitted into a compact, portable unit equipped with quick-disconnect fittings adapted to be compatible with substantially any standard hot and/or cold water faucet system.